2012 4 Races for 4 PBs

10x400 in 83s

Two Wednesdays before Raheny 2019 I ran 10x400 on the track in AIT. I logged an average 400 of 1:22.45 off an average 200ms recovery of 68 seconds.

Wednesday this week I repeated the same session on the AIT track. This time I averaged 1:23.03 off 67 seconds.

I'm not a million miles away from where I was this time last year. Just like I ran Milano Nord Parkrun in 18:35 a few weeks before Raheny 2019, this year I ran 18:41. I had a good day in Raheny last year, if I have a good day this year I might not be far from another sub 30.

Wednesday I was greeted by a cold and damp wind as I stepped out of the office. Wednesday evening willpower in short supply. I don't stall (not too much) and get into gear quickly. A warm up to the track. It is very busy tonight, don't recall ever seeing it this busy. In the main people are staying out of lane 1 and I have very little weaving to do. Interestingly the most traffic was on interval number 9, I needed to run wide on the back straight to overtake a large bunched field of runners, also overtook the faster runners around the home bend, and consequently this 400 is the fastest of the evening. More proof, not that it's needed that having someone to chase makes you run faster.

Made a deal with myself beforehand that I would run 8x400 and then decide if I would add 2 more or not. I don't think I was ever in any doubt that I would add these 2. First time I've run 10x400 in a long time and I was feeling it. Need to increase stretching etc as I did notice some right-hammer feedback at times. Not a lot, but definitely something.

Ran a long cool-down just to keep the mileage ticking over for the week. Must try get in 4 miles on Mondays just to take a little pressure off the rest of the week.

One of the Athlone Running Club guys contacted me on Strava later, saying I'd be welcome to join in with them for a session if I'd like. That was nice.

Good evening's running.

1:22.83
1:22.94
1:24.60
1:23.68
1:23.94
1:23.66
1:22.96
1:22.98
1:20.17
1:22.50

Average 1:22.03 3:28min/km [5:34min/mile]

Total 12.26M @ 7:50

Easy 5 Miles

Trying to make a point of finishing work at the latest by 16:15 on Fridays. Managed it two weeks in a row now. Another cold afternoon, I'm starting to long for summer sun, single layer on top, no gloves and no shock to the system as soon as you step outside.

More or less the same route as last Friday, join the Greenway at Garrycastle and run toward town. Exit and turn right to loop back round to Garrycastle via SuperValu and Ericsson. Mostly bright when I started, mostly dark when I finish.

Bit of concern as I can feel some feedback from the right hammer. I plan on running a session in the morning with Donore and I'm wondering how wise that might be. I'll see in the morning I guess.

Total 5.18M @ 8:45

Fartlek with Donore

Happily the hamstring was fine today. Did some stretches before heading out, waiting for tell-tale twinges over the first few hundred meters but none came. I'm really happy about this, I worried that I was starting to undo all the recovery of the last few months. Keep stretching, keep fingers crossed.

Warm-up on a frosty bright morning. Find the Donore meet-up point shortly before the session gets underway, just enough time to catch the end of the coach's briefing and just enough time to change into the Dynafits. So it's fartlek this morning, a first for me. Lot of firsts this morning: first fartlek, first club session, first time wearing the Dynafits in anger.

A lap starts at the north-east corner of the playing fields path, sticking to the grass we run down to the end of the path, hairpin left by the Fort and up through the dips before turning left back to the NE corner, a second descent but this time turn left at the second gully, down the gully to the bottom of the hill then a hairpin left and run up the hill all the way to the starting point. That's a lap. We can run 4, 5 or 6 of these. The fartlek sections are 200m on the initial descent, 300m through the dips and back to the NE corner, and the full final hill back to the start.

Scotindublin is my guide around the first lap and a half or so. Then I find myself naturally pulling away on the fartlek sections. This was deceptively tough. On the first lap I thought this isn't too bad. On the second lap the final hill was already starting to sting a little. From here I started to make sure I used the recovery sections to recover. I decided from the outset that I would run a full set of 6. I was happy the 6th was the last one, could feel the thighs working on the last two long ascents.

I wasn't lapping on the Garmin, I wasn't looking at the Garmin at all, I just tried to keep the effort constant. This evening my curiosity was too strong though so I 'data-mined' a bit on Strava and estimate lap splits as follows: 7:17, 7:20, 7:15, 7:20, 7:23, 7:20. Pretty consistent. Dynafits felt good.

Enjoyed that a lot. Chatted with some of the guys before running a cool-down home.

I'll be signing up at Donore later this month (maybe even as early as Tuesday).

(impressed how the coach says 'I can't remember your name?' as I finish lap 1, and gave me a shout out on the next few laps.)

Long Run 17 Miles

Felt strong Sunday morning. Two pairs of gloves on. Easy jog over to Donore meeting overpronator enroute. Detailed breakdown of his 4:57 indoor mile from last Tuesday, cracking result, sub 5:00 first time of asking. Brave to leave your comfort zone and try something new.

It's another big group this morning. Usual shuffling of positions and conversations as we work our way around the park on a bright frosty morning. Legs feel good. I tackle Knockmaroon for the second long run in a row. It felt manageable. No conversation on our way up though. Continue to feel good on the ascent up Tower. We turn onto White's Road. Some of the guys here invite us to join them on some strides over the closing miles. I join in for the first three, but I can tell the hammer is not impressed so I opt out of the remaining ones. Finish on 17 miles for the morning. Spin home from Chapelizod from overpronator.

A 10x400 session, a hilly club fartlek session in the Dynafits, and longest run of 2020 so far. It's been a good week.

M01 8:36
M02 8:50
M03 8:01
M04 8:11
M05 7:54
M06 7:51
M07 7:33
M08 7:40
M09 7:38
M10 7:34
M11 7:25
M12 7:30
M13 7:50
M14 7:28
M15 7:29
M16 7:14
M17 7:29

Total 17.04M @ 7:46

Easy 5 Miles

I was out with work Wednesday evening. We headed pretty much straight from the office to restaurant so I couldn't fit anything in beforehand. Didn't stay out late, back around 10:15. For a while I contemplated heading out for some miles as I didn't trust myself to get out before work in the morning. But my belly was full and I was sleepy so opted to try get some sleep instead.

Alarms at 6:00, 6:30 and 6:45. I manage to get up and into gear. On the road a little after 7:15. Very dark and foggy outside. I keep it simple, run to the castle and back. Near the end of mile one I can hear but not see horses, then only when they are around 20m away do 4 horses with riders emerge single-file from out of the fog on the road ahead. Just me, them and the fog.

I cross West of the Shannon for a couple of minutes before turning round and returning the way I came. Hammer was fine this morning but the legs felt fairly heavy. Happy to have got out for this one.

Total 5.09M @ 8:46

Easy 8 Miles

So running 9 miles the day before a marathon is unwise, but I'm hoping 8 easy miles over 24 hours ahead of a 5 miler is fine. Paranoid now about day before race activity.

Bit worried about the legs this week, they feel so so heavy. Maybe it's just all the easy miles. This morning 7:XX pace sounded demanding. I just ran a lap of the Park, admittedly the second half with it's downhill profile felt a bit better.

Tomorrow? I'm going to try hold 3:45 pace for the first 5K and then see how I'm feeling. I would be over-the-moon with a 29:59.99. It would in my mind mean I am back to where I was last year prior to the hammer tear. I've been trying to play down tomorrow's race, not an A-race, just a see-where-I'm-at race. But all the same I'm feeling the prerace tension already. The weekend is on pause until sometime around 15:30 tomorrow afternoon.

Lots of stretching later this evening.

Total 8.04M @ 8:23

Raheny 5 Mile 2020

Gave myself loads of time to travel cross town for this. Luas and the number 31. Arrived at All Saints Drive exactly 90 minutes before race start.

Now that I’m here I start to feel a little more relaxed. Portaloo, sports hall to change, drop bag. Decide to wear gloves. I watch the crazy charge of the boys 800m race. Then I start my warm-up. Run 2K out and 2K back along some of the course.

For the first time ever I arrive in the starting pen before the throngs have settled in. I take a place around 10m back from the front row and begin the wait. It fills up and warms up quickly. Ten minutes to go and I switch Garmin back on. Five minutes to go and the wheelchair race is off. Five minutes later it’s our turn. Shuffle, jog, and cross the start line.

I have the watch set up in metric, so for me it’s an 8.0467K race. Plan is to travel at 3:45 [6:02] pace for the first 5K then hope to push on from there and bring average pace down as much as possible.

K1 in 3:39.06 predicted finish time 29:23
Congestion isn’t too bad this year. I don’t need to swerve very much I don’t need to stop start at any point. I stick to the road and refuse to run on the footpath. Pretty quickly I’m travelling at race-pace. I allow myself look at the Garmin as much as I want over the first kilometre but after that I plan on only checking the splits. The first kilometre sounds sooner than I expected, I see a 3:39 flash up. Careful there’s a long way to go.

K2 in 3:45.92 predicted finish time 29:50
I have plenty of space to run in now as we travel back around the green. I’m overtaking all along this second kilometre, trying to hold correct pace based on perceived effort. Legs feel ok, though maybe not quite as light and spritely as I would have liked. The Garmin beeps and I see a 3:45 logged. Ok that’s exactly the pace I wanted, but part of me hoped I’d be a little quicker. Just a little concern creeps in after this, and I adjust pace slighty, worried that I’ll slow too much.

K3 in 3:42.14 predicted finish time 29:49
The concern with the ‘slow’ second split isn’t helped as we navigate a slight incline that leads us onto Howth Road. Legs feeling the incline. Previous years I’ve been hemmed in along the short Howth Road stretch but this year I find very little traffic. It definitely makes a difference getting to the starting pen sooner. Happy when we turn onto Sybil Hill Road, knowing that we have some favourable road profile to enjoy for the next while. My rate of overtaking starts to drop here but I’m still moving up the field.

K4 in 3:36.10 predicted finish time 29:37
The best kilometre of the course. A gentle descent all the way down Sybil Hill. Ease past other runners. In my head I know I’m 9 seconds up on target at this point. I can feel myself recovering a little along here. Also pleased to think that we are already nearly half way there. I remember running a 3:32 on this kilometre last year. When the Garmin beeps I see a 3:36. That’ll do. I’m 18 seconds ahead of target.

K5 in 3:42.09 predicted finish time 29:39
I love the central part of the Raheny 5 Miler. K4 allows you to recover while logging your fastest split of the race, and K5 while not as generous as K4, is still a gentle kilometre. Overtaken along here by one runner with a very smooth stride, looks very comfortable. There’s a Raheny vest in front of me and he’s getting a lot of side line support. I think I’m still overtaking people, but the legs are starting to feel the effort now and the real race is starting. K5 logs at 3:42. I’ve gone through 5K in 18:25. That’s 10 seconds faster than the Parkrun at the start of the month, but on a far more favourable road profile.

K6 in 3:38.63 predicted finish time 29:36
This is where the fun ends. I enjoy the last bit of road before we enter St.Anne’s. I’m all too aware of what comes next. We turn onto the central avenue and into a light headwind. Field is more spread out now. I pass one runner immediately as he drops a gear on the ascent. I try to stay strong. K6 sounds around one third of the way up the ascent and I’m very happy to see a 3:38 flash up. This is going ok. Just 2 more K to go, I note that I’m 29 seconds ahead of 3:45 pace, but I’m definitely, definitely tiring now.

K7 in 3:53.22 predicted finish time 29:50
As always the hairpin is never-arriving. Lungs working now and I want this to end soon. When the hairpin does arrive I take it very very tight and come almost to a standstill, takes a lot of effort to get the legs striding again. The downhill doesn’t help as much as the uphill hinders. I’m happy to pass the 4 mile marker, nearly nearly there. Turn left and head over the river. The Garmin sounds here and I’m disappointed to see a 3:53 showing. My initial reaction is one of resignation, that’s it race over. Then I do the calculations and tell myself I’m still 21 seconds up on 3:45 pace, it’s not over yet.

K8 in 3:50.55 predicted finish time 29:58
In the red, really struggling and hurting now. I swap places a few times with an East Antrim runner. I’ve kind of assumed that a sub 30 is probably gone. I’m looking up the road trying to figure out how long more this will last. As we work our way round the green I’m overtaken by two runners who left the road and cut across the footpath. Just two more turns. Just one more turn and I try to up the pace. East Antrim doesn’t really respond (pity, it might have made the difference). Up ahead I can see the clock reading 30:1X. Strange, that’s better than I expected. I speed up. For some reason I don’t glance at the Garmin. If I had I’m 100% certain I would have squeezed out an extra 0.62 seconds. Instead I cross the line, hit pause and see 30:00.61.

Rarely rarely does my chip time improve on my watch time and today is no exception. When I check the official results later I’m not surprised to see 30:00.

Ok this wasn’t an A-Race and if I’m rational and calm in my analysis I can say that less than one year on from my hammer tear I’m pretty much back where I was at the start of last year. That’s a huge success in itself. If I had had a little more belief in my current fitness then a 29:5X was definitely there. At just 4 seconds even a PB was probably there today. But my initial reaction is one of disappointment, there’s no excuse for missing by less than a second over 5 miles. That’s just wasteful. Why didn’t I check the Garmin at the start of the finishing straight? Too scared? That’s a lesson learned.

Once again I enjoyed Raheny more than I anticipated, it’s a funny race that way. I dread it all weekend, then miss it as soon as it’s over. Touchwood I’ll be back next year.

I want to bring up 40 miles for the week so I take a longer than usual 5K cool-down, to the sea and back. Took a heavy tumble during the cool-down. Clipped a raised paving stone, very nearly managed to regain my balance but nearly was no good, I was going down. Braced myself, crash onto concrete. Torn gloves, grazed palms, cut and blood-blistered left elbow and bruised left hip. Did remember to pause the Garmin though. Relieved to have nothing worse than cuts and bruises and I resume running.

Now that the race is over the weekend can begin.

Mile Splits were as follows with 2019 splits in brackets:

5:56 (5:59)
5:58 (6:01)
5:51 (5:49)
6:02 (5:55)
6:08 (6:05)

Chip 30:00.
P270 of 4064 finishers (or 7th in a race of 100)
P19 of 280 M45 finishers (or 7th in a race of 100)
VDOT of 55.7

November Review

The start of the month was largely about recovering from DCM. Following no plan, I ran if I felt like running, and didn't run if I didn't feel like running. In the first 5 days after race-day I ran 0 miles. Cycled the guts of the DCM route 2 weeks after racing it.

On the 11th of November I kicked off my Raheny training block. I didn't see Raheny as an A-Race, I saw it more as an opportunity to return to some faster stuff in training and I would use the race the see how fit I was in comparison to 12 months previous. If I came close to last year's time I would mentally draw a close to my hammer recovery.

In the month I ran two 4 mile tempo sessions, and an 8x400 session. This latter I was disappointed to only average 85s. I ran another session mixing 5x400 + 2M tempo. None of these faster runs felt easy.

Some non-running drama as I have a change of heart about a job change and do a boomerang. I had a brief taste of Dublin commuting and don't want any more of that. Fastest way home from the airport was in a pair of runners and with a bag on my back.

Took my life in my hands one weekday morning by running the River Road north of Glasnevin.

Not a high mileage month, don't think it was ever going to be after DCM.

Month | Monthly Miles | Daily mileage for month | Weekly Mileage for month | Daily mileage for year | Weekly mileage for year | Predicted yearly mileage
January | 155.81 | 5.02 | 35.18 | 5.02 | 35.18 | 1835
February | 151.36 | 5.41 | 37.84 | 5.21 | 36.44 | 1900
March | 136.86 | 4.41 | 30.90 | 4.93 | 34.54 | 1801
April | 83.09 | 2.77 | 19.39 | 4.39 | 30.75 | 1603
May | 23.78 | 0.77 | 5.37 | 3.65 | 25.54 | 1332
June | 162.82 | 5.43 | 37.99 | 3.94 | 27.60 | 1439
July | 191.91 | 6.19 | 43.33 | 4.27 | 29.90 | 1559
August | 186.60 | 6.02 | 42.14 | 4.49 | 31.46 | 1641
September | 220.66 | 7.36 | 51.49 | 4.81 | 33.66 | 1755
October | 161.36 | 5.21 | 36.44 | 4.85 | 33.95 | 1770
November | 149.77 | 4.99 | 34.95 | 4.86 | 34.04 | 1775
December | | | | | |

Friday - Easy Hour

Friday evening I worked a little later than planned but I was working from Dublin
so no commute to worry about. Headed out for two of my Kilmainham-Inchicore-SCR-James-Heuston-Kilmainham loops, plus a trip to SuperValu.

Left leg felt kinda numb for most of this, bordering on having pins and needles. My left foot had a reduced sense of contact with the ground. Not sure if I laced up in a different fashion, or if was just the way I had been sitting at the desk all day. After around five miles, as I turned right at the bottom of Brookfield Road the numbness lifted in a matter of seconds and had proper feeling back in my left leg again. Odd.

Left SuperValu with a little more than I had planned to buy. Running with both arms hugging groceries to your chest doesn't encourage good form, it does encourage looks from people you pass.

Total 6.76M @ 8:53

Saturday Club Session 4x(3x200 + 2x400) all off 200m Recovery

Windy up around the Magazine Fort and the Munich Hills on Saturday morning.
Joined the Donore crew sheltering in the copse of trees by the north-eastern corner of the playing fields. We are briefed on the morning's session. Cross country. We can choose to run 6 to 8 laps. A lap takes us from the copse of trees down along the grass to the Fort and back up through the gullys before turning left to return to the start line; roughly 1200m. The odd laps would be 200 on, 200 off, 200 on, 200 off, 200 on, 200 off. The even laps 400 on, 200 off, 400 on, 200 off.

The jumps in pace feel comfortable for the first lap. Then the 400s in the second lap quickly remind you that this is a session. The last 100m of the second 400 are particularly tough as the legs recover from the gullies. At first I'm running as part of a couple and slightly ahead there is the lead group of 3. After around 4 laps I've split from my partner and I'm hanging around 4 seconds behind the leaders. I catch them early in each recovery.

I'm looking forward the odd laps, they feel like relative recovery after the 400s. On lap 5 I realise that two of the leading group will be stopping after 6 laps. Hearing this I'm a little concerned about how I'm pacing these.

So it's just two of us for the last 2 laps. My companion is faster than me finishing each speed section around 3 or 4 seconds ahead of me. He offers lots of welcome encouragement during the recovery sections. I'm very pleased to get this done and close out the eighth lap.

Again really enjoyed this session, training in a group brings a whole new narrative to the work-out.

I didn't look once at the Garmin while running but I took splits of the fast sections:

L1 43 47 46
L2 83 89
L3 40 44 45
L4 82 86
L5 40 43 45
L6 84 89
L7 41 42 45
L8 86 86

Wore the Dynafits today, should have taken them off on my cool-down as I thnk I do risk blisters if I wear then too long.

Sunday Long Run 17 Miles

At one point there were 14 of us on Sunday's run. Never stuck for conversation and the miles tick by. Following the usual Donore Sunday morning route. The legs for sure are still feeling yesterday's session but they still feel strong. Tackle Knockmaroon again. Feels a little tougher than 2 weeks ago, I reckon that's the session in the legs. I bid a reduced group farewell at Knockmaroon Gate and finish the run solo. My first solo mile from Knockmaroon Gate, down into and back out of the Furry Glen is my fastest of the day at 6:48 pace.

Happy to bring up 50 for the week.

Total 17.12M @ 7:31

Easy 8 Miles

Really happy I didn't have to run a session in AIT this evening. Instead I run a very easy, don't look at the watch 8 miler. The legs absolutely feel last night's session, in a good way. Stretched the hammers before heading out. Just daydream around one of my usual Athlone routes. Thinking over last night's 300s and thinking ahead to next Saturday's session.

Total 8.33M @ 8:46

January Review

Trying to stay on top of these monthly reviews this year.

January was a very solid and significant month. New year, new start. To make good on some decisions taken post DCM, I've upped the mileage and I've joined a club (although admin needs to be completed on the latter).

From the first full week of January I've started targeting 50 miles a week. The only exceptions to this rule will be on race weeks and on some post-race weeks. Need to be a little more inventive finding windows to run and a bit more effective with the windows I find, but so far so good, I've been hitting targets. It's the first month I have ever logged over 200 miles outside of marathon training.

Joining Donore was long overdue. I'm really enjoying the group sessions. There's a narrative about them that just doesn't exist running solo. The 16x300 session done only a few days ago I would never have done on my own. I'm looking forward to sessions and not dreading them as much as I used to. The Dynafits have found new life around the Munich Hills. I'm feeling very optimistic about lifting off the plateau I've been living on for a while now. Ran a solo 10x400 in AIT, happy enough to average 83s.

Two encouraging races in January. A 18:41 and second place were both welcome on a bitterly cold Parkrun in Milan at the start of the month. I feared I might not dip under 19:00, it had been over a year since I targeted 5K pace. Similarly with Raheny, my fitness proved to be better than I thought. If I had a little more confidence and a little more savvy over the closing 800m I could have contested a PB, so I'm more or less back to where I was this time last year. Signed up for Dunboyne in March, targeting a 37:XX.

Took a tumble after Raheny, bit bruised and scrapped but thankfully nothing more serious.

All told a good month to start 2020.

Month | Monthly Miles | Daily mileage for month | Weekly Mileage for month | Daily mileage for year | Weekly mileage for year | Predicted yearly mileage
January | 203.31 | 6.56 | 45.91 | 6.56 | 45.91 | 2400
February | | | | | |
March | | | | | |
April | | | | | |
May | | | | | |
June | | | | | |
July | | | | | |
August | | | | | |
September | | | | | |
October | | | | | |
November | | | | | |
December | | | | | |

Easy 40 Minutes

Early flight to Milan for work on Monday morning. When I arrive a few of the guys say they are going for a run at lunchtime if I want to join them. Cool. Takes the pressure off trying to find a place to run in the evening.

Car to local swimming-pool, we can use their changing rooms and showers. We follow a dirt track that I would never have found on my own. Nice gentle run. Out and back, totalling almost 5 miles. Company is entering a few relay teams in the Milan marathon so they are training together at lunchtime.

Total 4.85m @ 8:33

12x244m (average 49.25)

Long day at work, including two cross city journeys. Back to hotel and happy to lace up and head out. It's very mild outside, around 15 degrees at a guess. I run a short 3K warm-up, returning to the swimming-pool from Monday. I run 200 metres through close to pitch-black no-man's land before reaching the long narrow park that I was correctly told would be lit up at night.

We've been told to have an easy midweek of running ahead of a tough session on Saturday. Tonight I wanted a gentle session, no heroics but enough to keep the legs lively.

I find a stretch of straight grit track and run what feels like somewhere between 200 and 300 metres (average on Garmin is 244m). I dash along the patch at I estimate 3K pace. Turn at the end and jog back to the starting point via a parallel path. I run 12 repeats. The lungs are never really working hard nor are the legs. So I'm surprised when reviewing on the Garmin later to see an average pace of 3:22min/km, 5:24 min/mile. Felt slower. I had the park mostly to myself. Enjoyed this, logged some good splits without unduly stressing the legs.

Cool-down back the way I came. Food and bed.

Recovery 3+Miles

Some sunshine this afternoon as I join colleagues for another gentle lunchtime run. Slightly different route this time, nicer one I think. Chat is mostly about running. We adopt the pace of the slowest in the group. Really enjoyable tipping along this leisurely.

Packed for 2 runs on this short trip, managed to get 3 runs in.

Total 3.66M @ 9:28

Long Run 16 Miles

Up early in Cork. Braced for wet and stormy conditions. I step outdoors at 7:00am. It's not too bad. Wet underfoot and a bit breezy but nothing like the forecast had predicted. So 16 miles required to ensure I hit 50 for the week.

I head through town in the dark and pass the port heading for Glanmire. Only starts to get light on mile 5. Mile 6 is always a slow one on this route as it starts with an ascent of the very steep Church Hill. Legs start to wake up after this. Into Mayfield and back into town via Montenotte. Another climb up Sunday's Well. Onto the Carrigrohane Road and into a slight headwind. To my right the Lee Fields are flooded. I turn left onto Inchigaggin Lane, the road here is closed due to a fallen tree. I scramble underneath and make my way onto Model Farm Road. Along here I check average pace, it's showing 8:15. I decide I'd make the end of the run a little more interesting and try drop overall average pace down to under 8:00.

The increase in pace is comfortable. If you asked I would have said it was at fastest 6:5X, so I'm pleased afterwards to see the last three miles recorded at 6:49, 6:47 and 6:43. Overall pace dips down to 7:57 for the morning.

Tuck into a warm breakfast, happy at the end of a solid and varied week's running.

Total 16.02M @ 7:57